Friendsmas
by Veridissima
Summary: They are all stuck in the city for Christmas Eve, so Catelyn tries to make the best of it. Written for herokingrobbstark on tumblr and the Ned/Cat secret santa


_Hi, Leyla, it's me! I'm your Secret Santa! It's been so hard not to tell you! This was written for_ herokingrobbstark _on tumblr :)_

 _I really hope you like it and because it's you, I threw some Lyanna and Robert in here! Also I ended up writing Dacey twice for Secret Santa this year, which was a new experience and also interesting how large is the age range for her, where I can write her as their student in one and their friend in another!_

 _I really hope you enjoy this and Merry Christmas, Leyla! :D_

* * *

The table looked beautiful. Catelyn had gone all out. After all, it was Catelyn's first Christmas. Of course, it wasn't her _first_ Christmas, she was twenty-three after all, but this was the first that was _hers_. They were all stuck here, in the city, for the 24th, before they went back to their families, and Catelyn had wanted to make something special.

She hadn't actually been stuck here, she had today off and could have flied home, but it would have meant that her boyfriend and friends would have had take out for Christmas dinner or would have been driving across country. So instead she stayed.

Catelyn had cooked all day. All the requested recipes. Dacey helped, of course, the only other one who didn't have to work – she had put a block on studying during Christmas Eve and Day. Her eighteen-year-old roommate was now looking over the food, as Catelyn showered and dressed for tonight.

Freshly showered, she dried and curled her auburn hair in the mirror of their bathroom, before moving over to her bedroom, earning herself a whistle from Dacey as she crossed the room.

"How's the food?" she asked before entering the bedroom.

"All good, Cat. I have my eye on this."

"Thanks," she said before walking in. She had laid three dresses on the bed and still wasn't sure what to choose, before that she pulled on her underwear and a simple black bra that would go perfectly with any dress, and she now stood scanning her eyes over the clothes on the bed, intending to make a final choice, when she heard a knock.

"It's me," the familiar voice of her boyfriend came in.

"Come in." Ned entered the room, immediately closing the door behind him.

"You look good like that. Jealous I can't spend the night with you," he told her with a kiss on a cheek and a slap on her left butt cheek.

He was leaving tonight after presents, with his sister and Dacey. The Winterfell airport always ended up mostly closed during the winter, so they were taking Ned's big jeep, with the snow tires in the back, so they could change them after they crossed the Neck, hopefully they would make it home for Christmas dinner.

"You're still worrying about all the driving," Ned realized with another kiss

"I don't like you driving in the snow."

"Catelyn, I have done it a million times and I'll be well rested. Lya and Dacey will take the first bit. I just don't want them travelling in the snow, it's enough that Lyanna will be driving in the night – luckily, she's a more careful driver at night and doesn't speed at that time. And Dacey just got her driving license in the summer before coming to the city – she's never driven in real snow."

"I know you won't let any of them drive, but I still worry. I'm afraid you will speed, Ned, you will be going home to your family and home. You want to get there quickly."

"I don't speed, Cat, you know that. I'm a careful driver. And I promise when I drove down in the Winter break in college, I was excited to see you and now I'm still intact."

"Mostly intact," she said with a smile. "I won't argue about this anymore."

"I'll be safe, and I'll call you when we get home and drop of Dacey with her family."

"They are still driving down to Winterfell to pick her up."

"Yes, either her mother or one of her sisters."

"Good. Now which dress to do you think I should use?"

"I think you look rather good like that."

"I don't think this is really proper, Ned. Just help."

"I like the one in the middle. It works well with your hair – you're keeping it down, right?"

"Yes," she said with a laugh, knowing how much he enjoyed her hair. Catelyn took the dress he chose and pulled it on, before asking him to zip it up, she felt strange putting on outside shoes to be home, but she pulled on her ballerina's shoes.

"You look beautiful, Catelyn," he whispered, with a kiss on top of her head.

"You look very handsome too," she spoke, taking a good look at him. He was still wearing his work slacks and his work shoes, but he had pulled out his jacket and tie, with his shirt out of is pants and with the top bottoms opened.

"Catelyn!" they heard Dacey yelling from outside, "Something is happening!"

"I should go out there," she said and quickly moved to leave the room, with Ned letting her know that he would put her other dresses in the closet. In the kitchen, she put on her apron and took over the food, luckily nothing was ruined.

"You look good, Cat! Hey, should I dress up too?"

"If you want to."

"I still feel that's a yes. I'm going now, Ned, keep Catelyn company."

"Your dresses are in the closet," he said, coming into the kitchen. "What do you need me to do?"

"Pull open the table and get the towel. And then you can help Dacey decorate – she has a better eye than you."

"I think everyone has."

"Not Robert – he would use plastic plates if I let him."

"I would not do that."

"I know, Ned. But still wait for Dacey."

"I will," she heard him as he started pulling on the table.

The five of them normally ate on the table as it was, but tonight there was going to be a large abundance of food, so she believed they would sit more comfortably with the table open and they would be able to snack until midnight.

"Cat, can you help with my hair? I want to look fancy."

"Ned-"

"I'll look after the food, go."

"I'll leave the bathroom door opened."

Catelyn walked behind Dacey – she was in simple black pants, but she had a nice dark green blouse on, and still in socks.

"Can you just put my hair up?"

"Sure, sit down."

Catelyn took Dacey's hair in her hands and fixed it to a nice bun on the top of her head, and pin it down, so it could hold on during a trip north.

"How does it look?"

"Good," Dacey said, looking at herself in the mirror. "Thanks. We should go back there now."

"Yes, and can you and Ned set the table?"

"Sure."

During the next hour, Catelyn finished dinner, and Dacey and Ned got the table ready, with beautiful decorations adorning it, and then just kept the conversation going until the others arrived. They heard sounds from outside when it was close to 8pm and the apartment door across the hall opening and closing, to be met with a loud Robert, minutes later.

"I'm finally here and Christmas can start. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Robert," Catelyn answered him as he came to pick her up and laid a kiss on her cheek.

"It smells good."

"Dinner is almost ready," she told him, slapping his hand away from the food. "We're just waiting for Lya."

"Why?"

"Robert Baratheon!" A booming voice came in as the door was thrown open. "Robert Baratheon, you were supposed to pick me up. I was waiting for you for twenty minutes and then had to walk on the rain."

"What?! What, Lya?! You told me this morning 'I need no man in my life,' in those exact words."

"I meant that. But I did not mean for you to leave me stranded."

"You said you didn't need me to pick you up."

"You were supposed to know I didn't mean it."

"How was I-? Just forget it. Sorry, Lya. Now can you get cleaned up, so we can eat."

"I still hate you," Lyanna complained as she left for their apartment.

"You left my sister stranded," Ned asked him.

"You were there this morning when she told me not to pick her up."

"I know, but it's Lya…"

"I hate your sister, Ned."

"No, you don't…" Dacey whispered, making Catelyn laugh, ignoring Robert's look. Somehow when Lyanna came down, she had forgotten everything and fell on the couch, with her legs over Robert's lap.

"Why don't they just get together?" Dacey asked Catelyn for the thousandth time.

"They don't know how, Dacey."

"They've been like that for so long, since she joined us in college," Ned spoke, "They will figure out things someday."

"You really think so?" Dacey asked him.

"Yes."

"Ned is a bit oblivious," Catelyn spoke, earning her a look from Ned. "You didn't know I liked you until Brandon came over for the holidays and he pointed it out to you."

"Okay, point taken."

"But I agree with him. They will figure it out someday and it should be easier considering they are roommates even if Ned is kind of a cockblocker."

"Hey!"

"I love you for bothering Ned, but when are we going to eat?" Robert asked from the couch.

"You can come. Dinner is ready."

Catelyn started bringing the food to the table and getting drinks for them – red wine to go with the lamb and juice for Dacey. They took their normal seats, Catelyn at the head of the table, with Ned on one side with Lyanna, and Dacey and Robert on the door.

"The table looks beautiful," Lyanna spoke up.

"Now, let's eat!" Robert said, slapping his hands.

Catelyn went around, serving the food to everyone, making sure everyone had the food they requested, especially with the multiple type of potatoes. It had been hard work, but it was rewarding when she saw their faces when eating – a little bit of home tonight.

"You really didn't need to, Cat," Ned told her. He had told her it was too much work too many times, but she had liked the cooking today, of preparing this meal for her friends.

"This is so good, Catelyn, you should do this every week."

"You know I have job, right, Robert."

"It's a shame. This could be your job."

"What?! Feeding you?!" Lyanna asked.

"Yes, that sounds good," he said, "Hey, Cat, I'm still driving you to the airport tomorrow right?"

"If you don't mind."

"It's the way I know I start the drive to the Stormlands early."

Robert was also driving home, according to him the Storm's End airport closed as often as the one in Winterfell, due to the wind and large storms, but he said any real Stormlanders knew how to drive in that weather. Catelyn was still glad she was flying home, she still thought they were all crazy to drive in this weather, and besides she still really hated driving.

"I'm still jealous you're taking a plane trip home," Lyanna complained, "How long as it been since I was on a plane?!"

Nobody answered, all used to her musings by now, and with no answer she moved the conversation to what they were doing after dinner, as always she suggested a million things, one after the other, until they finally settled on some game.

As Ned helped Catelyn get dessert ready, Lyanna ran across the hall, to get _Cards Against Humanity_ , running in, holding the black box.

"Can we start?"

"There's still dessert, Lya."

"Eat as we play."

"Okay, by me, but still at the table," Catelyn said. "So we can put down the food and cards when we need."

"Sure. Who's the _Card Czar_?" she asked, before calling out, "Not me," she said, touching the tip of her nose and Catelyn came at last.

"I don't mind. I like that."

They started the game as they shared fruit and the cakes and sweets she had prepared. This game was always fun and the most inappropriate things always came out and Lyanna was winning of course – that was probably why she loved this game. Robert were probably more inappropriate, but Lyanna's were smarter and funnier. Dacey was also doing really good – Catelyn didn't know if someone who was barely eighteen should be doing this well.

Catelyn couldn't help but laugh every time Ned had to make a choice, he got such a hard look on his eyes, and she pulled her legs to his lap to distract him. But at the end, he still came in last place.

Lyanna was winning when they called of the game and moved to the couch, so they could all watch a Christmas movie, which led to a lot of arguing, and ended up with watching _Harry Potter and Philosopher's Stone_ even if only Dacey and Catelyn agreed it as a Holiday movie, but everyone else was definitely okay with watching Harry Potter any time of the year.

It was just the type of fun and sweetness they all wanted. Catelyn smiled at the movie through the entire time, with Ned mocking her, whispering in her ear as she sat on her lap.

"It's such a good movie, Ned. And they are so young…"

"I know, Cat," he said, as he traced shapes into her leg, making her giggle every few minutes, and when the movie ended she let herself spoon into him, comfortably fitting into his body, closing his eyes, listening to his heartbeat.

"One minute until midnight," Lyanna's yell scared her to standing up.

"Lya, you're a grown woman," Ned complained, "But you can bring in the presents."

"Dacey, come and help me."

Both girls moved everything to the center of the living room, as Catelyn dropped down to the floor to sit in front of Ned, as they walked looked at the watch, waiting for midnight to arrive.

"Hey, guys, I'm sorry if I'm presents are a bit on the cheaper side," Dacey started. "But I-"

"Ohhh, Dacey, don't worry about it. You didn't have to get us anything. You're a college student and that's hard enough and you already have your sibling to worry about at home," Catelyn said. She had told her a million time to not worry, she remembered how it was to not have a job.

"It's time!" Lyanna yelled.

"Hand in whatever you pick up first. Don't look up for your name," Ned reminded her, and then they started the exchange. Even with just five people there was a lot going around.

The first Catelyn got was Robert's, which was actually not a joke gift like he did many times – okay, there was still one, a photo on naked Ned stuck in the middle of the pages, that she found when she was reading the book and reached the page it was on, one day at her lunch break at work – but he got her a book she really wanted, it was a new book about the history of the Riverlands, and she knew it wasn't cheap.

Ned got her a book too. A mystery novel, it seemed, she normally liked those and he knew that, as well as pair of dark blue earrings and a new wrist watch – she loved those, no matter how many times Lyanna mocked her and told her they were useless.

Dacey got her a cute notebook that read "My Recipes" at the front, she said that it was so she could write down all the amazing food she cooked.

Lyanna was left for the end. A thin envelope with tickets to a concert in May to _The Silent Sisters_ – one of the few bands they both liked.

Between opening her own presents, she also observed what everyone else also got. Happy to see the smile on everyone's faces, especially when people were happy with her own presents for them. It was a happy evening, it was impossible to not be happy when Robert pulled Ned into a hug and lifted him up the floor; or when Ned kissed her lips, excited to have gotten some videogame he wanted as well as a comic.

And as they all entertained themselves with their new things and their presents, they digged in into their desserts again and Catelyn prepared a cup of coffee for Lyanna and put some more on a travel mug for the trip, at least should hold them for a while. And then smiled as she looked across the room.

Dacey had now taken the armchair and was looking over the sports book Robert had gotten for her. Lyanna and Robert were playing some ball game one of them had gotten from Dacey. And Catelyn was sitting on the couch, her feet on Ned's lap, as they shared a piece of chocolate cake and some pudding.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"That this is nice. That I really wish you didn't have to go."

"Me too."

"I think we have built a new family here. I never thought it would be possible – I'm a Tully, family comes first. I never pondered that it would me more than one."

"Maybe we could be one, for real."

"Ned, are you…" she asked with a laugh, and butterflies in her stomach, and then looked at Ned's surprised face.

"No, no, I'm not…" he started before adding, "Not that I don't want to, Cat. I want to, so much, I want to."

"Okay."

"But not now. I had this… Can you forget this happened?"

"I think I can, but not for too long, I hope."

"No, not long," he said with a smile. "You would say yes…"

"Of course. But you still need to ask."

"I will," he answered with a mischievous look that she normally found on his sister's face. It would only be in the next day (or better later that day), when she was in the plane flying to the Riverrun, that she would remember his plans to take her to one of the top restaurants in the city at New Year's – while she knew him well enough that he wouldn't purpose in a crowed room, maybe that was part of the wooing for her to say yes, or maybe to celebrate her having already yes. She would have to wait to find out.

"It's getting late, we should get going," he said breaking their bubble.

"I guess so," she said, getting up, as he rallied Lyanna and Dacey and they got the last of their things – there wasn't much – they had packed the car in the afternoon.

"Call me when you get there," Catelyn said as she said her goodbye to Ned.

"I will. You call me too."

"I will," she said, pulling him down for a kiss, "I love you."

"I love you too, Cat," he told her before kissing her back.

"Come one, lovebirds! You will be together again in less than a week," Lyanna called from the car. And with a last kiss, they said goodbye. Robert and Catelyn stood there, watching them drive away before walking back into the apartment building.

"See you in the morning, Cat," he said, as they separated at the hall.

"Sleep well, Robert. And Merry Christmas!"

"And Merry Christmas to you," he said, as he entered his apartment and she closed the door to hers, and the apartment hall was left empty.


End file.
